Dukasaur wrote:I'm stuck at the world's most boring truck stop, in Carlisle, PA, because the trucking companies have decided that New York State is too high-risk to jeopardize their equipment. There's no way to get from Pennsylvania to Ontario without passing through New York, unfortunately.

Well, I suppose I could double the length of my journey and go all the way around through Michigan, but that would be ridiculous.

There's not even a good restaurant here, just a goddamn Denny's. Whoever designed the Denny's menu should have their kneecaps broken with an icepick; everything on it is disgusting garbage, totally deepfried to the point of 100% moisture loss, so that it's a bit like eating beef jerky without the beef. And the waitresses constantly fight, accusing each other of not doing their jobs while not doing their jobs. And I don't mean little snide remarks under their breath, I mean full-fledged explosions of "you lying tramp" loud enough for the whole place to hear. It's a bit like being a kid again and trying to focus on your breakfast while your parents fight.

The sign at the door says "Please wait to be seated". On the first day I dutifully waited for 15-minute increments. Today I got smart and learned to ignore the sign. I just walk in, grab a menu, and sit wherever I want. Then I randomly choose some inedible crap from the menu and flag down the nearest dysfunctional waitress and implore her to serve me. When she says, "that's not my table" I point out that I've been waiting 38 hours and can survive not much longer. Other than being a slight exaggeration, it's basically true.

Carlisle, PA. Can't beat it!

I can't get any real weather reports from Williamsport, Corning, Rochester, or anything else along my way home. I google "Williamsport weather report" and I get Philly. I don't give a f*ck about Philly. It's two valleys over from Williamsport and not even part of the same climactic region. I want to know about the mountain roads between Williamsport and Corning, and between Corning and Rochester. After Rochester I'm home free; the NY Thruway gets priority plowing and from the Canadian border I can basically walk home. But nobody anywhere seems to be able to tell me what the I-390 looks like, or the dangerous sections on the north end of US 15.

Dukasaur wrote:I'm stuck at the world's most boring truck stop, in Carlisle, PA, because the trucking companies have decided that New York State is too high-risk to jeopardize their equipment. There's no way to get from Pennsylvania to Ontario without passing through New York, unfortunately.

Well, I suppose I could double the length of my journey and go all the way around through Michigan, but that would be ridiculous.

There's not even a good restaurant here, just a goddamn Denny's. Whoever designed the Denny's menu should have their kneecaps broken with an icepick; everything on it is disgusting garbage, totally deepfried to the point of 100% moisture loss, so that it's a bit like eating beef jerky without the beef. And the waitresses constantly fight, accusing each other of not doing their jobs while not doing their jobs. And I don't mean little snide remarks under their breath, I mean full-fledged explosions of "you lying tramp" loud enough for the whole place to hear. It's a bit like being a kid again and trying to focus on your breakfast while your parents fight.

The sign at the door says "Please wait to be seated". On the first day I dutifully waited for 15-minute increments. Today I got smart and learned to ignore the sign. I just walk in, grab a menu, and sit wherever I want. Then I randomly choose some inedible crap from the menu and flag down the nearest dysfunctional waitress and implore her to serve me. When she says, "that's not my table" I point out that I've been waiting 38 hours and can survive not much longer. Other than being a slight exaggeration, it's basically true.

Carlisle, PA. Can't beat it!

I can't get any real weather reports from Williamsport, Corning, Rochester, or anything else along my way home. I google "Williamsport weather report" and I get Philly. I don't give a f*ck about Philly. It's two valleys over from Williamsport and not even part of the same climactic region. I want to know about the mountain roads between Williamsport and Corning, and between Corning and Rochester. After Rochester I'm home free; the NY Thruway gets priority plowing and from the Canadian border I can basically walk home. But nobody anywhere seems to be able to tell me what the I-390 looks like, or the dangerous sections on the north end of US 15.

Here. This will keep you company:

I've made it home now, but thank you very much....

US-15 had some slightly bad spots, but the I-390 and the Thruway were clean as an unused condom.

Along the way I was thinking of more nasty things I could say about Denny's, but when I got home my wife had a wonderful dinner waiting and all negative thoughts have vanished from my mind. It's amazing how a good home-cooked meal can make you completely forget about some terrible restaurant crap.